Landlord frequently turning up unannounced.....

clark24

Ok so we moved into this house last month, lovely place in a lovely area. We get on well with our neighbours and are opening a shop in the town, which everyone has been very supportive and positive about. We keep the house at a high standard as I am very particular about living in a clean tidy place, and we are considerate to our neighbours (quiet, friendly and sociable when asked to attend things). The garden is maintained as well as the weather allows, lawn mowed regularly and plants trimmed etc. We are essentially good tenants, rent etc has been and always will be paid on time, so no cause for concern, right?

Anyway the landlord who started off being very nice before we moved in is quickly turning into the landlord from hell. Before we moved in he was saying how much we would love it there, and we could decorate it how we liked (within reason, which we agreed to and to be fair it needs a lick of paint here and there) and how nice it would be to have a family in the house etc etc, but since the day we moved in he has taken to keep turning up, randomly, unannounced, whenever he feels like it. He waits for us while we are out or casually strolls up the drive when we are in, he comes round the front way and back way as and when he pleases, and this is happening more and more frequently. We were out shopping today and had left our 16 year old daughter home alone (she wasn't feeling well) and when we got back he was there, walking round the garden and staring in windows, asking our neighbours about us and looking like he was about to let himself in. Now if he had my daughter would have had a complete meltdown, she wouldn't have heard the bell as she had headphones in and doesn't answer the door anyway when we are out as she feels insecure doing that. And if she had opened the door (it was her turn to put the rubbish out) and seen a strange man walking around the garden she would have freaked out!
His 'excuse' for turning up was to ask how we were settling in!!!! Oh and then to ask some more intrusive questions, whilst nosying about round the property.
Last excuse was to say we could take the 'To Let' sign down. He then had a nosey and asked lots of intrusive questions.
Excuse before that was that 'he was passing through the area and wanted to see if we were settling in ok' (more noseying, more questions)
Before that he wanted to check the gutters (he had brought a nice long ladder and was looking in the upstairs windows) then he wanted to know what furniture we had bought etc etc.
Before that it was to say hello. Oh and to ask lots of questions.
Before that it was to say the hedge needed trimming (we'd only been in a couple of days) and to ask lots of questions.....

My blood is boiling, I am a nervous wreck! I just want to get on with living here in peace and quiet, but that just isn't happening.

Now he has our home and mobile numbers but seems unable to use them to give is the 2 days notice as set out in the contract that he is coming round. He has our email addresses, also unable to use those it seems. As far as he is concerned, it is his house and he will come and go as he pleases. He's acting like we are doing something wrong, which we are not! He has gone from saying we can decorate, to asking exactly when and how we will be redecorating (I personally was only going to paint one room from a vile nasty headache colour to a cream one).

He is asking personal questions, then went next door for 'gossip' on what sort of neighbours we are. It turns out he is very pally with next door and they are keeping a very close eye on us.

Now I know he is acting against the terms of our contract, he is supposed to give 2 days agreed notice unless it is an emergency (asking how we are is not an emergency), The LA and solicitor we rented this house through happens to be a good friend of his and not a very nice person so we can't ask for support there, so as far as we see it we have to accept this man can and will just turn up all the flipping time whenever he feels like it and I can't relax in my home until the tenancy runs out (in 11 months time) and we can get the hell out of here and move somewhere else. It's a shame cos I had hoped to be here for a few years, but not if I can't have the right to peace and quiet that I am entitled to. I would understand if we were bad tenants but we are not, not even slightly. We're both hard-working professional business people, who are important and valued members of the community. I can't change the locks as we are not allowed to due to them being old and unique (like the house) and we would like to keep things on a friendly level with the LL as we don't want him to get more nosey as we worry if we tell him to go away he'll start to find more excuses for coming round. I just want to know that he's not standing behind me all the time. It really makes me jump when I am not expecting him to be there, I will be walking round the garden and he is just there!! He's not been in the house without our knowledge as far as I know, but then how would I know?

I know it's doubtful any of you can help, but I needed to vent in a place where people would understand my frustration and anger at the situation.

Oh well 11 more months, I can manage that right

BitterAndTwisted

Instead of meekly tolerating his intrusions have you actually asked him outright if he has any concerns which compel him to keep turning up unannounced? That if you had any issues or questions you'd be happy to get in contact with him first, so he doesn't need to feel that he must baby-sit you?

There must a way of gently informing him that his behaviour feels very intrusive without alienating him completely. Not with eleven months to go before you can flee.

Edit: What sort of intrusive questions has he asked you and how did you responded?

ruggedtoast

Him entering the garden or the house is totally unacceptable, nevertheless you presumably want to give him a face saving opportunity to naff off.

I would ask him not to enter the garden without notice as it upsets your daughter, and while its nice to see him you'd prefer a bit of notice to prepare for a visitor.

He will then either get the message or he wont. If he doesnt tell him clearly that his visits make you feel uncomfortable as he is the landlord and in your experience landlords usually only visit for repairs or inspections, and you would like notice before an inspection.

If he still doesnt get the message then its a letter citing quiet enjoyment. You can expect a S21 at the end of your contract and no reference then, which you'll have to plan for. Thats renting in Britain though.

rentergirl

Landlords new and experienced often think they have the right to stroll into the home they let out on a whim. They don't. It's harassment (or rather an abuse of the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment.) I agree that a firm but friendly chat is the best way. If he doesn't stop, then it will have to be a letter, sent recorded delivery, to ask him again firmly but politely to desist. Have to say, he sounds really weird. I hate it when people say 'why not move?' as it's costly, unsettling and disruptive. But i'd start looking, nonetheless. Good luck!

BitterAndTwisted

He's obviously confused about what the boundaries are and has turned into your Dad.

This is going to be an extremely delicate situation to resolve. For a start I would not allow him to enter the property and make it clear in as tactful a way as possible that his visits are unwelcome and totally unnecessary, except for a periodic inspection every three months or so with the appropriate written request in advance.

pmlindyloo

Sounds like a first time LL. We had exactly the same - he didn't turn up unannounced but after we bought the house from him he said ''need to tell Fred (a neighbour) there's no need to keep an eye on you any more!'

I can sort of understand as you hear so many stories about bad tenants.

However, you have been there a month now so............ a letter saying that you understand his concerns but after his frequent visits he should now be reassured that you are upright citizens and you will not be expecting him to visit unannounced as is your right.

Since you are only just in to your tenancy I can understand how you want to keep a good relationship with him but this can't go on. If he turns up after the polite friendly letter then you need to write another all guns blazing.

Hopefully the nosy neighbour will be enough to reassure him!

clark24

Argh I just wrote out a nice long reply and accidentally deleted it!

Ok so he's been a landlord for many years, and has a reputation in this town for being a nightmare in this way, no other tenants have been able to stop him but most don't stay beyond the year. We had no way of finding this out first, it wasn't til we moved in and people started giving us pitying looks when we said where we lived.............

We have done all we can that doesn't involve getting more officially firm about asking him to stop, we have repeatedly mentioned him calling first, giving us prior warning, politely asking he doesn't just turn up when he feels like it, explaining that we may be out or otherwise unavailable (surely we have the right to live without worrying at any moment he may want to see his house, or just walk round the garden, or stare at me through the windows?)

Thing is as far as he is concerned he owns the house, we are just an annoyance as he needs the money, but the house is his, so if he wants to be in it or near it then we can't stop him. We did clearly sign on the TA that 2 days notice were required, he signed that too, but he just ignores that. He asks questions about our business (turnover, location of shop, cost of rent etc) asks about when and where the kids go to school, what furniture we have bought and from where, why were we out on such and such a time, when did we last cut the grass (4 days ago, it is still short), how often do we clean the house (everyday, constantly) and things like that, then questions about my parents (dad is dead, mum is dying, none of his business really) hell I am 40 years old, I am not a child, I own my own company and the only reason we rented instead of buying was we have moved 800 miles and wanted to rent first while we decided where to ultimately buy).

He then wants to know how much money we have and I am at the point I just see red now when he strolls up the drive, well earlier I nearly died of shock when I was unloading the car with the shopping and he just appeared behind me, from where he had been 'hiding' in the back garden.

We've got nothing to hide, he could spend all day looking for signs we are unfit tenants and find none (ok so I have not unloaded the dishwasher from this morning and there is a towel on the bathroom floor from this morning, shoot me)

Some people just shouldn't be landlords, the paranoid, nosey, bored, need to get a life, distrustful, unable to understand a TA kind, and if I could I would just leave, but we can't without paying the 11 months rent (a LOT of money) or faking my own death.................

so I guess we need to write the letter, and incur his unreasonable wrath cos his previous tenants didn't get him to stop, but he did get a lot worse ...................

Werdnal

Sadly, this type of busy-bodying is a human trait that is going to be very hard to stop. He probably doesn't just do it because he's your LL, he is probably equally prying and annoying to other people he meets in his day to day life! He may be insecure, lonely, over-protective of his rental property or all 3.

If you feel he may overstep the mark and enter whilst you are out, or your daughter is home alone, you have a right to change the locks. Keep the originals and replace them when you leave. LL will never know unless he attempts entry, then you have proof!

I think you need to put this in writing - you don't need to be accusatory or aggressive. Just write along the lines of:

I am writing regarding your recent unnannounced and frequent visits to our home. Whilst we are appreciate your concern about us as new tenants, and your possible anxiety about how well we are looking after the property, we would like to point out that these visits are becoming a little excessive. I appeciate your queries about how well we have settled in, but since moving in last month, you have made XX (number) of unannounced visits to our home, and we are beginning to find this very intrusive. In our tenancy agreement, it clearly states that should you require access to the property, you will give XX (hours) formal notice to us. Yet on several occasions you have arrived here without any prior notice, and we have returned home to find you at the property in our absence. We feel that this continued intrusion on our family life is not allowing us the "quiet enjoyment" of the property, which is our right during our tenancy.

I can assure you we are very happy in our new home, but this is being marred by your constant and unwarranted visits here. Please could I ask you to refrain from turning up at the property unless you give us the required prior notice, and if you have any queries or concerns, please telephone me to discuss this on the numbers I have previously provided you.

Thank you.


However, as previously mentioned, LLs (or people!) like this are very difficult to steer away from this track, so if they take offense, expect notice to be issued at the earliest opportunity!

clark24

Thankyou everyone so far for replying, and Werdnal I shall definitely be using that letter after his next visit! (we are giving him the benefit of the doubt, cos maybe he won't, yes I know we are kidding ourselves!)

As we have a 12 month tenancy, which has 11 months left, and have not in any way breached our TA can he do anything to us, legally that is? Surely if we pay rent on time and follow the TA to the letter then we are safe, or can he issue us notice anyway? This is the first time I have rented in 20 years, I have been a homeowner since my teens so this renting lark is new to me and I am a bit unsure of the exact rules. I always believed that we were secure here as long as we were good tenants and paid rent promptly etc, can he remove us just because we don't like him turning up when he feels like it?

Thing is I am very busy with work, I work long hours, as does my husband and daughter and we don't like feeling that the house has to be constantly immaculate as in the evening we just want to unwind and sometimes leave the washing up til the morning (just stuff that needs soaking) or maybe not always make the bed straight after getting up, sometimes I don't put laundry away straight after it comes out of the dryer but wait til my work day is finished, and basically we live normal lives for busy working people who also have a small child and no house-keeper. I am constantly on edge now, I just want to relax as it is Sunday evening but am too scared to have a bath incase he feels like popping round again and looks through the window (you can only see into the bathroom if you are inside the back garden, I should not have to worry I am being watched but I can't even relax in the bath anymore) or even now we are chilling out playing x-box and I keep looking out the window incase he is looking in at me (again!)

BitterAndTwisted

If you have signed a 12-month AST with no break-clause then nothing short of not paying the rent can get you out of there in less than 11 month's time.

Even if you stop mowing the lawn or decide to keep coal in the bath. Your housekeeping is no-one's business but your own. Your comments about the washing-up etcetera just illustrates how terrorised you feel, for which you have my utmost sympathy.

clark24

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If you have signed a 12-month AST with no break-clause then nothing short of not paying the rent can get you out of there in less than 11 month's time.

Even if you stop mowing the lawn or decide to keep coal in the bath. Your housekeeping is no-one's business but your own. Your comments about the washing-up etcetera just illustrates how terrorised you feel, for which you have my utmost sympathy.

well that's good, cos we don't want to live with fear of eviction over our heads, especially as we have done nothing wrong apart from want to live in peace!

The washing up was because earlier I had left the breakfast dishes on the countertop as I had to rush to a meeting and when I came home he apparently had taken a good long look in the kitchen window as he commented (nastily) on how the washing up hadn't been done (a couple of bowls and mugs). Seriously it's Sunday and I was waiting for the dishwasher to finish then was going to put them in with the lunch things. The kitchen was otherwise very tidy, it was just a few bits that had been left briefly as I was out working. Luckily the rest of the house was as clean and tidy as possible, so the rest of his snooping gave him no ammo.

The wind had also blown the garden parasol over while we were out, he wasn't happy about that, it wasn't windy when I left.

It is really upsetting me, I can't relax, I am snapping at my kids when they move cushions or leave toys around, I hate being like this.